128 THE ROYAL FORESTS OF ENGLAND 



A perambulation was made on oath as to the bounds of this 

 forest in 1316, from which it becomes clear that the forest of 

 Galtres comprised about sixty townships, containing within 

 its demesne about 100,000 acres, or nearly the whole of the 

 wapentake of Bulmer. The boundary line, beginning at 

 4 'the foot of the wall of the city of York," passed nearly due 

 north to Crayke, and thence round by Stillington, Farlington, 

 and Strensall, and so to Huntingdon, "even to the foot of 

 the wall of Layrthorpe Bridge, where the perambulation 

 began." 



The bounding jury also testified that there was but one 

 forester-of-fee in this forest, namely, John Hayword, who 

 held his bailiwick for the term of his life by the gift of 

 Edward II. 



In 1472, John Shupton, who held the office of riding forester 

 in Galtres by letters patent of Henry IV., surrendered his letters 

 in Chancery to be cancelled in favour of his son William. 

 This was granted on payment of the usual fees, with ^4 yearly 

 for certain herbage. 



There are also various Galtres attachment court rolls extant 

 of the reign of Henry VI. (1422-60). Interesting reference is 

 therein made to the custom of Thistiltak, or thistletake, though 

 not at that period producing any appreciable income. ' * Thistle- 

 take " was a term at one time in use in Yorkshire, Lancashire, 

 and Cheshire for a customary fee of \d. a head from drovers, 

 through certain forests or over certain commons, if they per- 

 mitted their beasts to graze to any extent, even to the snatching 

 of a single thistle. 



In 1432 the agistment of cattle produced 15^., and the pan- 

 nage of pigs 6s. 4^. Fines for taking a cartload of " ramell " 

 (copse-wood) varied from 4^. to 6d., and for a cartload of 

 " grissell " (which seems to have been a term for fresh cut 

 grass for fodder) 6d. to &d. 



In 1483 Richard III. granted for life to his servant Geoffrey 

 Frank, one of the esquires of the body, the office of the keeper 

 of the king's laund within the forest of Galtres, with fees of 10 

 yearly at the hands of the receiver of the lordship of Sheriff 

 Huttun, and other profits. Grants were also made about the same 

 time by the king to two out of the four foresterships ; each of the 

 four foresters had a wage of 4^. a day. Another office filled by 



